How to Tell If an AI Toy Is COPPA Compliant

Is this AI toy COPPA compliant? Here's the honest answer

COPPA, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, is a US federal law. It isn't a logo you spot on a box, and there's no single certificate that settles the question. What you're actually checking is whether a company can point to specific practices: how it gets a parent's consent before collecting a child's data, what it discloses about that data, and how a parent can review or delete it. A company that can't answer those directly probably isn't ready to claim it.

What COPPA actually requires

COPPA was passed in 1998 and is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). It applies to online services, including connected toys and apps, that collect personal information from children under 13. The rule has been updated more than once since it passed, most recently with changes the FTC finalized in 2025.

In plain terms, a company covered by COPPA has to:

• Get verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from a child, through a method that reasonably confirms the person consenting is the parent.
• Post a clear privacy policy that explains what data is collected, how it's used, and whether it's shared with third parties.
• Let parents review and delete the data collected about their child, and stop further collection on request.
• Limit collection to what's reasonably necessary for the product to work, not open-ended data gathering.
• Keep the data reasonably secure and not hold onto it longer than needed.

This is enforceable law with real penalties. That's why "COPPA compliant" gets thrown around loosely in marketing when it's really a description of ongoing practices, not a one-time checkbox.

How to actually check a company's COPPA posture

Since there's no single seal for COPPA itself, you're checking behavior, not branding. Here's what to look for before buying an AI toy or app for a child:

• A privacy policy written for parents, not lawyers. It should say plainly what's recorded (voice, usage patterns, photos, none of the above) and why.
• A clear way to request deletion. Look for an email, form, or account setting where you can ask for your child's data to be removed, and check that it actually works.
• A real consent step. Setup should involve a parent confirming an account, not a child tapping through prompts alone.
• No ad tracking aimed at kids. Children's data used for behavioral advertising is one of the most common COPPA violations the FTC has pursued. A compliant product doesn't use a child's activity to target ads.
• Contact information for privacy questions. A company confident in its practices lists a real contact, not just a generic support inbox.

If a product page or ad claims "COPPA certified," that phrasing is worth a second look. COPPA doesn't have a general certification body. What does exist is the FTC's COPPA Safe Harbor program, where a small number of approved organizations can certify a company's compliance program. Most toy makers aren't enrolled in one. That's normal. It just means you have to look at their actual practices instead of a badge.

Where SkyBuds stands today

SkyBuds is kidSAFE Listed, an earned status from kidSAFE, a third-party program that reviews products against child safety and privacy criteria. That's the real, checked step most AI toy makers skip entirely, and it's why we lead with it. kidSAFE is separate from COPPA, and being Listed isn't the same as being COPPA certified. Our COPPA compliance work is actively underway, and we'd rather tell you that directly than let a vague claim sit on a page indefinitely.

For the current status of our data practices, consent flow, and deletion process, check our privacy policy page, which we keep updated as that work progresses.